(Lawrenceville, Ga., Dec. 21, 2020) – Kirkland Carden was sworn in today to represent District 1 on the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners by Probate Judge Christopher Ballar. District 1 encompasses Duluth, Suwanee, Sugar Hill and portions of Norcross.

District 3 Commissioner-elect Jasper Watkins III will be sworn in Wednesday and Chairwoman-elect Nicole Love Hendrickson will be sworn in Monday, Dec. 28. All three ceremonies are taking place at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center with COVID-19 precautions in place.

“Stepping into my new role as commissioner, I’m looking forward to representing the people of District 1 and taking on some of the challenges our county is facing today,” Carden said. “There are also many opportunities ahead with projects like the revitalization of the Gwinnett Place Mall area and enhancing transportation options throughout Gwinnett.”

Carden was elected to the Duluth City Council in 2017 at the age of 29, becoming the first millennial and first African-American council member in the city. He also served on the Duluth Urban Redevelopment Authority.

An Ohio native, Carden and his family relocated to Duluth in 2004. In 2007, he graduated from Duluth High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Georgia State University.

The Board of Commissioners sets direction and formulates policies for the County government, authorizes expenditures and approves or disapproves specific actions, such as rezoning of private property. At the first regular commission meeting of 2021 on Jan. 5, the five-member board will consider adopting the 2021 budget.

Voters in each of four districts elect a part-time district commissioner. The full-time commission chair is elected countywide. Their four-year terms are staggered so the chairman and two commissioners are elected during one election cycle. The board will be rounded out by returning commissioners Ben Ku in District 2 and Marlene Fosque in District 4.

For more information about Gwinnett’s Board of Commissioners, visit GwinnettCounty.com.

###

Note: Photos from today’s event are available on the County’s Flickr page.